Gke Golden Path

---

name: gke-golden-path
description: >-
source: google/skills
tags: [gcp, gke, kubernetes, google-cloud, container]
metadata: 
hermes: 

---

**Trigger**: Use when working with GKE Golden Path — Google Kubernetes Engine configuration and management.

# GKE Golden Path Configuration

The golden path is the recommended Autopilot configuration for production
clusters. It defines sensible defaults — when the user requests different
settings, apply them and note relevant trade-offs.

> **MCP Tools:** `get_cluster`, `create_cluster`, `update_cluster`

## Rules

1.  **Default to the golden path.** Use golden path values unless the user
    requests otherwise. When deviating, note trade-offs but respect the user's
    choice.
2.  **Day-0 vs Day-1.** Flag Day-0 decisions (networking, private nodes,
    subnets, IP allocation) prominently — they are hard/impossible to change
    after creation.
3.  **Tool preference: MCP > gcloud > kubectl.** See the `gke-basics` skill's
    CLI reference for full coverage matrix and override options. If the user
    says "use gcloud" or "use kubectl", respect that for the session.
4.  **Document decisions and rationale**, especially for Day-0 choices and
    golden path deviations.

## Required Inputs

If the user is unsure, use golden path defaults.

-   **Project ID** (required)
-   **Region** (required, e.g., `us-central1`)
-   **Cluster name** (required)
-   **Environment type**: dev/test or production (defaults to production)
-   **Networking**: bring-your-own VPC/subnet or auto-create (default:
    auto-create)
-   **Scale expectations**: expected node/pod count, workload types
-   **Cost constraints**: Spot VM tolerance, budget considerations

## Always-Apply Defaults

Recommended best practices applied by default. If the user requests a different
setting, apply it and briefly note the security or operational trade-off.

Setting                                                            | Golden Path Value
------------------------------------------------------------------ | -----------------
`autopilot.enabled`                                                | `true`
`privateClusterConfig.enablePrivateNodes`                          | `true`
`masterAuthorizedNetworksConfig.privateEndpointEnforcementEnabled` | `true`
`secretManagerConfig.enabled` + `rotationInterval: 120s`           | `true`
`rbacBindingConfig.enableInsecureBinding*`                         | `false` (both)
`workloadIdentityConfig.workloadPool`                              | enabled
`networkConfig.datapathProvider`                                   | `ADVANCED_DATAPATH`
`networkConfig.dnsConfig.clusterDns`                               | `CLOUD_DNS`
`autoscaling.autoscalingProfile`                                   | `OPTIMIZE_UTILIZATION`
`verticalPodAutoscaling.enabled`                                   | `true`
`monitoringConfig` components                                      | SYSTEM_COMPONENTS, STORAGE, POD, DEPLOYMENT, STATEFULSET, DAEMONSET, HPA, JOBSET, CADVISOR, KUBELET, DCGM, APISERVER, SCHEDULER, CONTROLLER_MANAGER
`loggingConfig` components                                         | SYSTEM_COMPONENTS, WORKLOADS (enabled by default)
`advancedDatapathObservabilityConfig.enableMetrics`                | `true`
`nodeConfig.shieldedInstanceConfig.enableSecureBoot`               | `true`
`nodeConfig.workloadMetadataConfig.mode`                           | `GKE_METADATA`
`nodeConfig.gcfsConfig.enabled` / `gvnic.enabled`                  | `true` / `true`
`addonsConfig.statefulHaConfig.enabled`                            | `true`
Storage CSI drivers (Filestore, GCS FUSE, Parallelstore)           | enabled
Pod Security Standards                                             | `restricted` on production namespaces

## Customer-Configurable Settings

These have golden path defaults but customers may deviate with valid
justification. **Ask before changing.**

Setting                                  | Default                             | Why Deviate
---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -----------
`dnsEndpointConfig.allowExternalTraffic` | `true`                              | Restrict if cluster only accessed from within VPC
`autoIpamConfig` / `createSubnetwork`    | `true` / `true`                     | Customer has pre-existing VPC/subnets
`maxPodsPerNode`                         | `48`                                | `110` for high pod-density (costs more CIDR space)
`subnetwork`                             | auto-created                        | Customer brings existing subnets
Maintenance exclusion windows            | configured (NO_MINOR_UPGRADES, 1yr) | Customer-specific scheduling
`nodeConfig.bootDisk.diskType`           | `pd-balanced`                       | `pd-ssd` for I/O-intensive, `pd-standard` for cost
`nodeConfig.machineType`                 | `ek-standard-8` (Autopilot)         | Varies by workload; use ComputeClasses

## Guardrails

-   Do not request or output secrets (tokens, keys, service account JSON).
-   Discover project/cluster context via MCP tools or `gcloud config get-value
    project` — don't ask users to paste project IDs.
-   For Day-0 decisions, always ask clarifying questions before proceeding.
-   For Day-1 features, propose golden path defaults with trade-offs and let the
    customer confirm.
-   Do not promise zero downtime; advise PDBs, health probes, replicas, and
    staged upgrades.
-   When auditing existing clusters, compare against golden path and report
    deviations with severity and remediation.

## Golden Path Config

See [golden-path-autopilot.yaml](./assets/golden-path-autopilot.yaml) for the
full cluster-level policy settings.